• Embassy Bogota contacts applicants for fiancée (K) visas directly once we have received the case file from NVC and are ready for the applicant to schedule an interview.  Applicants who provide NVC with an e-mail address are likely to receive this notification much sooner than applicants who only provide physical mailing addresses.  (If you did not provide NVC with an e-mail address, you may want to provide that information to them now.)  Once notified by Embassy Bogota, fiancée (K) visas applicants are responsible for booking their own interview through our website or call center.  Embassy Bogota will not provide status updates prior to sending the applicant instructions on how to book an interview.

• Please note: Nearly all cases processed at Embassy Bogota have a case number that begins with “BGT.”  If you do not have a case number that begins with “BGT,” it is possible that your case has not yet traveled from USCIS to the National Visa Center (case numbers that begin “EAC” and “WAC” are USCIS case numbers, for example).  NVC will provide you with a Department of State case number after they receive the case from USCIS.  If you have not received that case number, you should direct your inquiries to either USCIS (you may check the status of your case at: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/CaseStatus.do) or NVC using the USCIS-issued case number.

The priority date, in the case of a family-based immigrant visa petition, is the date your petition was filed (not the date it was approved).  Family-based immigrant visas are divided into two groups, immediate relative cases and preference cases. 

• An immediate relative family-based petition is filed by a U.S. citizen on behalf of a spouse, parent, or child.  An approved immediate relative petition may be processed upon receipt from the National Visa Center.

• A preference family-based petition is filed by a U.S. citizen on behalf of a son, daughter, or sibling; or by a legal permanent resident on behalf of a spouse, son or daughter, or child. The law limits the number of preference visas available and currently there are more people who want visas than there are visa numbers available.  Your priority date determines whether a visa number is available or whether you must wait.  Once your priority date is earlier than the current cut-off date, your case will be processed. 

• We cannot predict when a case will become current. You can monitor the movement of the cut-off dates to learn when your priority date is reached.  To view the most recent priority dates, visit http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html.

• You can find more information on priority dates, visa availability and retrogression at: http://www.uscis.gov/greencard/ card processes & procedures.

• Family and employment-based visa applicants/petitioners are encouraged to pay the nonrefundable visa application and surcharge fees directly to the National Visa Center (NVC).  Any applicant for these visas who has not paid (or is unsure of whether the petitioner paid NVC) should be prepared to pay the required fee on the day of the interview.  Each applicant included on a petition must pay this fee.

• Applicants for fiancée visas must pay the nonrefundable fiancee visa application fee through our website or our partner bank (Banco Helm) prior to booking a fiancée visa interview.  Embassy Bogota will provide instructions on how to do this through our website as part of the fiancée visa appointment package which it sends to fiancée visa applicants.  Applicants cannot pay this fee until Embassy Bogota has sent instructions to do so.

• The Embassy accepts cash or certain credit cards and debit cards displaying the Visa or MasterCard logo.  Please note that the U.S. banking system does not use the ‘cuota’ system, which means that credit cards will be charged the entire amount in one installment.  The Embassy does not accept U.S. $100 bills or imperfect bills or checks. 

• The beneficiary and petitioner may attend the visa application interview.  If the beneficiary is a minor child, a parent or guardian may attend with them.  When the parents are in the United States, Embassy Bogota recommends that the parents ensure that children are accompanied by an adult who is capable of answering questions about the parents’ situation.  If the applicant is elderly or disabled, one person may accompany them to assist with the process.

• Children less than age 14 who received their own appointment letter (IR and CR cases) must attend the immigrant visa interview (i.e., a 3 year old son of a U.S. citizen must come to his interview). Children less than age 14 whose names are listed on a parent’s appointment letter are not required to come to the visa interview.

• All petitioners subject to the I-864 (Affidavit of Support) requirement must submit a signed I-864.  This requirement applies even if you are not working or do not earn enough money to meet the U.S. poverty guidelines (http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864p.pdf).  In these circumstances, you may find a joint sponsor who is willing to file an I-864 for you.

• Each I-864 and I-864 must be accompanied by proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency and the most recently filed U.S. tax form.  If the petitioner is not working, he or she must state this on the I-864.  If the person has not filed a U.S. tax return, regardless of the reason, he or she must explain in writing why not.

• Fiancée visa petitioners are encouraged to submit an I-134.

• Embassy Bogota does not approve or deny waiver requests and the embassy cannot provide status updates.  USCIS (http://www.uscis.gov/) makes all decisions about waivers.  Processing waivers is time consuming, and USCIS may need up to a year depending on the complexity of the case.  You may contact USCIS for a status update if one year has passed since your waiver application was submitted.  USCIS will notify you and Embassy Bogota once it has made a decision. 

• If USCIS approves your waiver, Embassy Bogota will contact you directly with instructions once it has received official notice from USCIS.  If you have not received instructions from Embassy Bogota within three weeks of USCIS’ notification, please e-mail IVBogota@state.gov to follow up with us.  Please understand that we cannot proceed until we receive official notification of USCIS’ decision directly from them. 

• If you receive word that your waiver request has been denied, we recommend that you follow USCIS’s instructions on how to submit a timely appeal within the timeframe given.  As a general rule, Embassy Bogota does not grant new immigrant visa interviews to applicants who choose not to file a timely appeal.

Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the visa applicant’s interview by a Consular Officer. Applicants are generally advised of this requirement when they apply. Most administrative processing is resolved within 90 days of the visa interview. When administrative processing is required, the timing will vary based on individual circumstances of each case. You may check the status of your application online by following the instructions on the Visa Application Status page.

• A lawfully permanent resident or conditional resident (CR) who has remained outside the U.S. for longer than one year due to circumstances beyond his/her control, may apply for a Returning Resident (SB-1) immigrant visa.

• Please visit http://colombia.usvisa-info.com/ and http://travel.state.gov/ to learn more about obtaining a applying for a returning resident visa. 

• If you no longer wish to be a U.S. resident, but would like to visit the United States as a tourist, please apply for a non-immigrant visa and schedule an appointment through our scheduling service (http://colombia.usvisa-info.com/).    You may surrender your green card to the consular officer during your non-immigrant visa interview.

Your child may be able to travel to the United States without a visa if the child’s mother was still a lawful permanent resident when she gave birth in Colombia during a temporary visit abroad; and

1. The child will enter the United States before s/he turns two; and
2. The child will be taken to the United States by either parent on that parent’s first return to the United States after the child’s birth.

If you meet these requirements, you can purchase a ticket for the child without visiting the embassy.  You should travel with the child’s original birth certificate and your lawful permanent resident card which you can show to the airline and upon arrival in the United States. 

If you or your child does not meet all of these criteria, you will need to file an I-130 petition for your child with USCIS.  Learn more by visiting www.uscis.gov.